1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gear mechanism having a movable gear which is so disposed as to able to engage with and separate from a fixed-shaft gear which rotates at a fixed position. The present invention also relates to a tape player having a gear mechanism which moves an idler gear to drive a reel block gear and/or switch directions of the tape feed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional tape player typically comprises a pair of driving gears and a pair of reel block gears and an idler gear which moves between one position so as to engage with one each of the driving gears and the reel block gears and another position so as to engage with the other driving gear and the reel block gear so that disposition of the idler gear shifts directions of the tape feed.
As shown in FIG. 9, when a movable gear (an idler gear 2 as shown in the attached drawings) of a conventional gear mechanism approaches to engage with a reel block gear 1 and a fixed-shaft gear which rotates at a fixed position to serve as a driving gear, it sometimes happens that a tooth tip 1a of the driving gear or reel block gear 1 abuts against tooth tip 2a of idler gear 2 as shown in FIG. 10, working pressure of both gears acting towards their respective centers. Then, subsequent tooth tips 1b and 2b abut against each other, working pressure of both gears again acting towards the respective centers, and tooth tips 1c and 2c will thereafter abut against each other in the same manner. Thus the gears fail to engage in the normal manner shown in FIG. 9 and consequently produce noise and/or malfunctions.
In order to solve the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a gear mechanism of a simple structure which places only minimal limitations on the design criteria and minimizes the occurrence of noise and/or malfunction by means of reducing abutment of tooth tips when gears are interlocked and, even should such abutment occur, permits the gears to be engaged in the normal manner immediately thereafter.